An Analysis of the Federal-Tribal Fish Management Agreement on the Kuskokwim River Alaska, United States

Abstract

The study examines the federal-tribal fisheries management partnership in the Kuskokwim River Delta under the MOU. Accommodating Alaska Natives into the dual management system that oversees subsistence fisheries in the Kuskokwim River remains elusive. Five decades after the Alaska Native Settlement and passing of the Alaska Native Interest in Land Conservation Act in 1982, the 'co' in subsistence fisheries partnership with Native Alaskans remains a myth until the MOU came in 2016. Implementing neoliberal policies in favor of commercial fishers and fisheries above subsistence users and the influx of non-natives resource users into Alaska are factors that accelerate the over-exploitation of Kuskokwim fisheries. While rebuilding stocks is paramount and requires management actions, these actions placed heavy burdens and put Native Alaskans at grave risks of meeting subsistence needs. The tightening harvest rules on harvesting further strained the fragile relationship between Kuskokwim tribes and federal managers. The signing of the MOU with the KRITFC in 2016 marks a shift in paradigm, a new path to reconciling differences and rebuilding federal-tribal trust in resource management. Investigating the role of subsistence harvest information and how consultation in subsistence fisheries management and decision-making operates are central to this research. The study uses the document analysis method to track the implementation of the MOU by reviewing selected literature on co-management and analyzing five federal-tribal cooperative agreements in the United States. This research draws on co-management strengths and weaknesses and situates the scenario of federal-tribal subsistence management of Kuskokwim fisheries. In conclusion, the study unravels that the benefits of partnering with federal managers in the management of subsistence fisheries far outweigh the tragedies for Kuskokwim tribes. Despite not guaranteeing subsistence priority, the opportunity for tribal inclusion and direct participation of the KRITFC in federal subsistence fisheries management and federal decision processes are enormous for the Kuskokwim tribes. It is far better for the Kuskokwim tribes to be part of a mechanism to dialogue and participate directly in managing subsistence fisheries with public managers than being left on the sidelines.